1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to endoscopic and laparoscopic instruments, and more particularly, relates to a sleeve for protecting endoscopes, laparoscopes, and the like, from contamination prior to and during intracorporeal introduction.
2. Background of Related Art
The use of endoscopes, laparoscopes and other similar medical instruments for diagnostic and therapeutic procedures is well known to those skilled in the art. Endoscopes, laparoscopes and the like are used for viewing virtually anywhere within the body. The term “endoscope” or “endoscopic device” will be used hereinafter when referring to any such device for viewing within the body. Endoscopes are specifically used for viewing the interior of hollow organs, such as the colon or the urethra, and within the abdominal cavity. Endoscopes generally include a fragile optic system that is prone to contamination during intracorporeal introduction. Prior to and during introduction of the endoscopic device into the body, the optical end thereof may come into contact with the cannula or trocar, seal systems, fluids, tissue, other instruments, the user or support staff, and the like. Direct contact with any of these items could cause contamination of the optic system and result in less than optimal performance from the endoscope. Once the endoscope is received within the hollow organ, abdominal cavity, or the like, the risk for contamination is reduced.
In a response to the contamination problem, and to further address the high costs and difficulty of cleansing and sterilizing these instruments between uses, it has been known to cover the distal end of the endoscopes during use with a sealed, protective sheath, sleeve or cover of various sorts and configurations. Such sleeves are commonly elongated tubular sleeves each having one open end for inserting the medical instruments and one closed, distal end. These protective sleeves remain positioned over the distal end of the endoscope for the entire procedure and are only removed from the endoscope once the procedure has been completed and the instrument has been removed from the body cavity. These sleeves are generally disposable. During procedures in which a conventional, or non-removable, sleeve is used to protect an endoscopic device, it is important to have a sleeve of proper length and diameter. The excess material present in a sleeve that is longer than necessary to properly cover a particular endoscopic device may interfere with the introduction of the endoscope into the body cavity or may otherwise negatively affect the operation of the endoscope. Any portion of the conventional sleeve in excess of that which is necessary would require the bunching-up of the sleeve along the endoscope. This bunching up may interfere with the surgical procedure, or worse yet, lead to contamination of the surgery site and infection. Alternatively, the excess length of the conventional sleeve could be cut away and removed adding unnecessary steps to an already complicated procedure.
A conventional sleeve of a diameter in excess of what is necessary may also negatively affect the operation and optical performance of the endoscopic device. Operationally, the folding or bunching of the sleeve created by the excess sheath material may affect the ability of a user to manipulate the endoscopic device during viewing. Additionally, the folding or bunching created by the larger than necessary diameter may negatively affect the integrity of the seal between the device and the trocar or other access means. The folding or bunching of the sleeve may distort the image or otherwise negatively affect the viewing. Thus, a conventional, non-removable sleeve of an appropriate diameter is necessary for successful operation of the endoscopic device and clear viewing within the body cavity.
Regardless of its size or configuration, the sleeve must be comprised of an optically transparent material, or include an optically transparent window for viewing therethrough. As used herein, the term “optically transparent” means capable of transmitting visible light so that an object may be clearly seen therethrough with little or no distortion. For sleeves used with endoscopes configured for viewing along the longitudinal axis of the scope, the viewing window is located at the distal end of the sleeve, while endoscopes configured for viewing other than along the longitudinal access, e.g. perpendicular to the axis, require the window to be positioned in a sidewall. The use of endoscope with a protective sleeves thereon, regardless of the optical transparency of the sleeve, increases the likelihood of optical distortion, interference, poor video quality, and the like. However, as noted above, the risk for contamination of the optic system is reduced once the endoscope has been received within the body cavity; thus, once intracorporeal introduction has been achieved the need for a protective sleeve is diminished. Unfortunately, because the sleeve ends up within the body cavity along with the distal end of the endoscope, it is not possible to remove the sleeve without removing the endoscope from with the body cavity.
Therefore, it would be beneficial to have a sleeve for protecting an endoscopic device that could be removed once the device has been received and properly positioned within the targeted body cavity.